What a College-bound Senior Needs

Currently I am preparing for a course that I plan to teach in 2010-2011 called “Worldviews” — or something like that. This course will be a requirement for seniors at Houston Christian High School, and I am, therefore, thinking through what would have been really helpful for me going into college.

Here are my thoughts. High school students could benefit greatly from:

Learning how to read. I don’t mean that they don’t know how to read (though, some will surprise you!). Rather, I mean that they don’t know how to take a text and dissect and get the most out of it. They pick up a book and just start in at page one, without considering the fact that different books should be read in different ways.

Learning how to take notes and how to study. I know I didn’t really learn this until well into my college career.

Dipping their toe into philosophy. When I went to college, I didn’t know Kant from Nietzsche from Hegel from Plato. Understanding some of the basics of the greats could be really beneficial.

It may be unfortunate, but I think it’s true: high school seniors are still lacking skills. Of the three items listed above, only one is “know” — the other two are “know-how.” Without the skills to learn on their own, many of these students will struggle through their early college careers. Sure, many of them (maybe even most!) will adapt and make it. Take me as an example. It took me four semesters to adjust to college and develop the discipline required to climb up the dean’s list. I got there. I made it.

But why wait four semesters? Why not get these kids ready for day one? HCHS is “college preparatory” after all.

Now the question becomes this:

How do I roll all of those skills into an interesting and compelling Bible course?

Thoughts on that are very much appreciated, as are thoughts on what a college-bound senior needs.

I was the same way in college (Moody Bible Institute–doubt you were wondering, but just in case :)). I actually remember having a moderate panic attack because the work-load was so difficult to me, a raw freshman who got by in high school rarely studying and hardly, if ever, reading required texts (cliffnotes got me by–ashamedly, I admit).

I haven’t been at HCHS long, but what I’ve heard from our students coming back is that college feels easier than high school. If you are at HCHS and you are keeping up with the work outside of class (esp. the reading and writing), then college might be a breeze because you have more free time to get those things done for fewer classes.